Now that winter is here, it’s the perfect weather for staying inside with warm comfy, cozy blankets. Hanging out with the ones you love and making moments inside your home.

It’s also the perfect time to create a lifestyle family photo session in your home. Maybe you love to make cookies with your kids. Maybe you make homemade pizza. Or maybe you cuddle up on your bed with everyone and read a book to your kids. Whatever YOU love to do with your family in your home, winter is the perfect time to take advantage of your indoor activities and schedule a lifestyle photo session to make memories.

Categories

It's Favorite Photo Friday time! Senior sessions are some of my most favorite sessions. And this one is no exception. We made a lot of great images during this session. And the one above is one of the many favorites that we made during this photo shoot. Loved everything about this one from the senior himself, to his family and the location as well.

This will go down as one of my all time favorite photos of this boy ever... not just ever... but "evva." I am, and will always be, fascinated with images where there's a lack of expression, emotion, smile. Images like this make me stop and think. They make me stop and think about what is going on in the image. Images like this draw me in and keep me there. That's why this is and will always be one of my favorite photos.

This has become one of my favorite photos of 2015. And it's a shot that almost didn't happen. We had been watching the weather all week leading up to the photo shoot. And I must have hit refresh a hundred times to check on the weather the day of. But the weather seemed like it was going to break an hour and a half before the shoot. So we decided to give it a go.

As we were walking from their house to the beach there wasn't a drop of rain falling. And boom, the minute the camera comes out and we start shooting... the rain started to sprinkle. And that meant two things...

1. No time to take time to connect with the one year old little girl.

Luckily, the one year old little girl and her mom and dad were so relaxed and easy going. It also helped that her aunt came along on the photo shoot which the little girl loved making for some great photographs.

2. If we were going to get any of the session in, we had to quickly shoot through each set up.

Once it started to sprinkle, it didn't stop. In fact, it started to sprinkle harder. Again, the family was great. Super relaxed. Super go-with-the-flow. But even with these amazing people, you have to know your camera and settings because there was simply no time to "take the time to get your camera settings down." It was a get the camera and go photo shoot. In all, I think we only had about 15 to 20 minutes to get all of the shots completed. And you know what, it was a blast. The location was amazing. And we made some amazing photographs!

Family photos are one activity that many people dread. What's meant to be a fun, family event can quickly become a stress-filled, pull-out-your-hair nightmare. I've been there with my own family and know the frustration that can quickly come. So in an effort to help, I've put together some tips for those of you with a family photo shoot around the corner.

1. You want to pick a spot that fits you and your family's personality. Sure, we the photographer can pick a great spot. But truthfully, you'll have much more fun if you are being photographed in a location that you love and fits your personality.

2. Be yourself. We've all spent time looking on Pinterest, Googling family photo ideas, researched what types of clothes to wear. But the bottom-line way to get photos that turn out beautiful... be yourself. Wear your style. In the words of every great hip hop artist... "Do you!"

3. Make sure everyone is fed ahead of time. If you or your family is like me, crankiness is right around the corner of being hungry. Or at the very least, being hungry means being uncomfortable. So feed your family, not to the point of being comatose like on Thanksgiving, but enough to take the edge off.

4. Plan ahead. Whether that’s making sure your son’s favorite shirt is clean, or that your roots are touched up, or to make sure your location will be open. Plan for that! Have kids try everything on to be sure you have socks and the desired hair style/length. Kids and spouses feel your stress and it's often hard for families to recover from a day of stressed out nagging. That wat you can spend time enjoying yourself and your kids a few hours before your photo shoot.

5. Color themes + color pops. Instead of looking for top to bottom looks for everyone in your family, look in each closet for color themes. By picking a couple neutrals and a couple pop colors you can create a really natural family look without feeling too matchy-matchy.

6. Talk to your kids ahead of time. Kids are smart and they love feeling big and informed. However small they are tell them the morning of your session that they'll get to have fun having photos taken. Show them a photograph of the photographer or discuss a bribe for good behavior. Show them the clothes they will be wearing, involve them in the discussion of what you will be doing and where you will be doing it. As you know, new people and new places can be unsettling to kids, especially to melting down toddlers in the afternoon hours (a common time for family portraits).

7. Give your kids freedom. Let your kids be kids during the photo shoot. Give them time to laugh. To goof off. To have fun. After all, it's a photo shoot, and you will have better photos if you give your kids some freedom to be kids.

8. Pick a time where everyone is happy. You know your family best. Sure, the best time to catch the best light is in the late afternoon early evening. But let's face it, that may not be the time when your little one(s) are the happiest. You definitely won't get the most beautiful photos if you've got a bunch of crabby abby's on location. So choose a time where everyone's gonna be their happiest.

9. Trust the photographer. All too often parents get naggy and nervous that their child isn’t looking at the photographer or smiling “right” causing their child anxiety and robbing the photographer, and themselves, the chance for candid portraits. If you’ve hired a seasoned family photographer (s)he knows how to make your child(ren) feel comfortable so let them work the magic you’re paying them to do.

10. Relax. Relax. And relax some more. One thing is certain, if you're stessed out you'll be tense. And the camera will pick that up. So the best thing to do is to relax. Take deep breaths. Follow the photographer's lead. And know your photo shoot will be beautiful.

This is the third installment in this series. If you've missed the first two, you can catch the first one here... First Photo Friday and the second one here... Second Photo Friday.

I shot this frame at a wedding in between some group shots as they were being set up. As I was waiting, I turned around and happened to see this scene unfolding. Completely candid. Not posed.

There are many reasons why I love this photo. The colors are awesome. From the red dresses against the green plant life. To the way their eyes pop. The head bands they are wearing to the looks on their faces.

And to top it off, the two bridesmaids above were great to work with...

All the reasons above make this one of my favorite photos I've photographed.

This blog post marks the second installment of my Favorite Photo Friday. If you missed the first one, you can find it here... First Favorite Photo Friday.

I photographed this bride and her groom a few years ago. The groom is actually part of our Armed Forces and one of the nicest guys you'll meet. They've also added a cute little girl since they got married.

Just prior to this photo, she and I had just gotten through talking about the necklace she had just put on. I was about to leave to go photograph the groom for a bit when I stopped and called her name. This is the frame I captured just after she had turned around.

Categories

1- TEXTURE

Be sure to have some layers, texture, dimension in your pictures! Layer your son with a t-shirt and a denim button down over it, your daughter to have a belt that adds a pop of color, or as in this image mom has texture/layer on her top. Spring is harder to layer because we are always so ready for cooler/summer-y type clothes, but throwing some layers in there provides the texture. Think hats for boys, a light airy scarf for girls, leggings with a ruffled skirt, necklaces…think layers!

2- CHOOSE 2-3 COMPLIMENTARY COLORS THAT YOU LIKE.

It could be yellow, blue, and cream or red, brown, and white or…. Either way, make sure you’ve got some color in there. Then have one person, maybe two people, wear something that is a non-solid using the colors you’ve chosen. Everyone else should wear solids from the same color palette. This way you’ll look cohesive without being too uniform.

I strongly advise that you not mix too many non-solids together, especially if you have a small family. And I also encourage you to stay away from everyone wearing the same white or black shirt with jeans or khakis. Bring in some color!!

3- CHOOSE VARYING SHADES OF THE SAME COLOR

Instead of trying to match perfectly. This gives some variety while still looking cohesive.

4- CHOOSE 2-3 COLORS FOR LARGE FAMILIES OR LARGE GROUPS

Then have everyone dress themselves using those colors. Its a win win because you’ll all match, but everyone gets to be themselves!

5- WHAT LOOKS GOOD IN YOUR HOME?

Think about what would look good hanging up on the walls of your home. Pick clothing that will compliment the colors in your home so that you can display your photos proudly!

6- AVOID MATCHY- MATCHY.

Don’t feel like you have to simply chose one color to coordinate! Chose 3-4 even and spread out the colors through your individual clothing options. Grey pants for Dad, silver scarf for Mom, and a silver sweater for their daughter mixed with a plaid or jean print would pull together everyone in a cohesive theme, without reverting to the old “matchy-matchy” that is so not for 2015!

7- PICK NEUTRAL COLORS THEN ADD A SPLASH OF COLOR!

I love warm and neutral tones with a touch of color. This peach color is perfect for spring. Layering is a great way to add some versatility to your look.

8- THINK ABOUT YOUR LOCATION AS WELL!

When styling your spring session, think about the location as well when choosing your outfits and accessories. Your location has a huge impact on your session!

Last year Granger Community Church asked me to shoot an editorial concept photo of a mom who is dealing with her tweens and messy rooms/lives. Above is what we chose to use in the magazine. The room itself was a tight space. I literally had to keep my bag and carrying cases in the hallway outside of the room and plastered myself up against the wall with a 35mm lens. This specific shot was taken at 200 iso; f/5.6 @ 160/sec. I had room for one light to the left of camera and one more light firing from under the desk to give some rim and separation on her arm and hair. Below is the link to the story: